Jacob's Recovery after Amputation

On April 21, 2018 Jacob endured a traumatic sports injuring while playing rugby for the Osprey in Missoula, MT. Since then it feels like we have lived several lifetimes in the process of healing and trying to reach closure from this accident. Many of you are familiar with Jacob's initial injury, but it has been very difficult to keep everyone updated with all the intricacies that have led Jacob and our family to the decision for Jacob to have a below-the-knee amputation (BKA); which will occur on July 3, 2019 at Sacred Heart Medical Center. As of last September, everything was going great-- Jacob was healing, using assistive devices and walking with just a cane. Unfortunately, Jacob developed two issues that were detrimental to his progress and changed the course of his recovery. One of those issues was a pressure sore on the bottom of his foot that kept him from walking. The second issue was a severe infection in and around his knee. These two issues, combined with the already apparent complications have lead us to the decision that a BKA will give the Jacob the best opportunity to have a "normal life" again. This is a decision we have spent months pondering and have seen a multitude of specialists to discuss; this surgery is inevitable. At this time we are asking our community to rally again as Jacob faces a new challenge to overcome. From social support-- coming to visit, sending a text message, a card, or facetiming-- just being present for Jacob will help him heal and pass time while is bedbound again. Having friends around will also help our family stay positive as we are all still going through a pseudo-grieving process and closure through this surgery. We are also doing this GoFundme to help our family with the financial burden that this surgery brings... Believe it or not, we are still struggling with bills from Jacob's initial surgery from April 2018. Now for this surgery, we have private insurance, but this doesnt take away our fear or anxiety. We are (almost daily) recieving bills or notices for Jacob's care. Jacob will be taking nearly two months off of work to recover from the BKA, have extensive physical therapy, and multiple prosthetics within the first year post-amputation. Much of Jacob's care isn't covered by our insurance (while we are appealing, it's a long process and doesnt stop bills from going to collections) which leaves our family to be indunated by medical debt. We are scared, but we know that we can make it through this because we are surrounded by incredible people who have stood by us through everything we have been before. We want to sincerely thank everyone who has been with us since day 1 of this journey and who continues to be here with us today. Much love, Jacob, Lauren, and Harper